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1066- Cider and apple growing traditions

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1066- Cider and apple growing traditions

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The romans introduced cultivated apples to Britain.
However, in 1066- Normans brought cider-making and apple growing traditions with them.

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For centuries vraitcheurs relied on horses and carts - particularly the hernais, a two-wheel conveyance with no springs often portrayed by Jersey artist Edmund Blampied.

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Vraic - the usual Jersey term for seaweeds of various sorts - as a highly effective fertiliser for crops such as potato. Records from 1299 show that it was a frequent cause of quarrels and even criminal charges in the Royal Court when there were violent clashes between collectors.

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Records show that in 1469 and 1531 the stores at Mont Orgueil Castle included cider supplied by merchants in Caen.

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In the late 16th century when Calvinist ecclesiastical law was at least as important as secular statutes, parish Constables told farmers the dates on which vraic might be cut in allocated zones of the shoreline.

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The fisherman's sweater to which the island gave its name, was made in Jersey, however it was woollen stockings which were in such demand that they were exported in their thousands every week, mainly to Continental Europe.

George Balleine said
"This work became so profitable that even men took to it, and the States grew worried lest the land should go out of cultivation, and threatened imprisonment on bread and water to anyone caught knitting during harvest or the vraicing season. In 1624 a petition asked for larger supplies of wool from England because "more than a thousand souls have no other means to get their living but by knitting stockings";

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Jersey, in the Channel Islands, was famous for its knitting trade in medieval times, and because of that original fame, the name "jersey" is still applied to many forms of knitted fabric, which transferred to the garments made from the fabric.
The word “Jersey” is a widely used term in the current day and has different meanings dependent on the context in which it is used. Within the context of Channel Island fishing communities however, a “Jersey” had a distinct meaning.

Based on the original pattern for a Guernsey, a Jersey is identified by the pattern of an anchor knitted in relief almost like a “crest”.

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1649 Charles I letter concerning knitting

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1649 Charles I letter concerning knitting

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The extent of orchard growing had an effect on Jersey’s landscape. The field structures and patterns that exist today reflect this influence. Each field used for growing apples was enclosed, usually with a solid earth bank with a hedge on either side, which would provide some shelter for crops. Lanes reached into the fields and began to look like they do now.

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1670-10,000 pairs of stockings were sold in St Helier each week

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1670-10,000 pairs of stockings were sold in St Helier each week

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They were bought by merchants for export.

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1673- Act passed which forbade the planting of any new orchards

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1673- Act passed which forbade the planting of any new orchards

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In the 17th century the States of Jersey became concerned that too much land was being used for orchards, at the expense of vital crops such as corn, so in 1673 an Act was passed which forbade the planting of any new orchards. They were concerned after the rapid development of new houses and expanding orchards caused the King's revenue to decrease (cost of importing grain and falling tithes). Only trees which replaced existing ones could be planted.

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Restrictions were placed on knitting, an activity which occupied a great many Island households, so that vraicing would not be interrupted.

Knitting was such a widespread and profitable activity in 17th century Jersey that the island's farming industry began to suffer badly as workers refused to till the fields and whole families devoted their waking hours to making woollen garments

In 1682 Poingdestre's Caesarea said: "There are many houses where man, wife, and children, beginning at the age of five, have no other employment, and may be said to make everyone a pair of stockings every week, which must come to more than 10,000 pairs weekly."

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There were insuffient barrels in Jersey to make cider with the amount of apples grown, so rotten apples were fed to pigs, which were common to own. This also led to some houses creating stills for 'eau de vie' spirit making in years of apple glut.

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Jerseyman Jean Poingdestre wrote 'There is hardly a house in the Island, except for St Helier, that did not have an orchard of from one to two vergees, sufficient to produce an average of 20 hogsheads a year'.

Hogsheads are a measurement for alcohol, and one hogshead is 54 gallons.

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By the late seventeeth century, corn growing had almost completely been replaced by apple cultivation, meaning the Island was no longer self-sufficient in grain.

Locally produced cider was being exported to England and importation of cider and cider apples from Normandy was prohibited.

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Potatoes have been grown in Jersey since the mid 18th Century, with potato crops having to compete with parsnip crops.

The growing of parsnips probably brought big Ploughs (LA GRAND’ TCHÉTHUE) to Jersey in 1768, as parsnips had long roots and needed a depth of cultivated soil to grow in. This plough would need up to 12 horses to pull it!

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Reverend Francis Le Couteur founded the first Jersey Agriculture Society, with the aim of improving agricultural practices, including cider making.

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Enclosed land, bound by hedges, accounted for 80% of the total land area.
Of these 51,800 vergees, 20% were orchards, primarily apples.

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The apple crop dominated horticulture by the middle of the 17th century. At the beginning of the 18th century 13,500 vergees (one-quarter of the land) was under orchards. This included 19 per cent of enclosed land and 15 per cent of all cultivated land that was covered in apple orchards. Cider & knitwear exports thrived.

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1801- Rev Francois Le Couteur published Aperçu sur Les Cidres, giving instructions on how to plan, plant and care for a cider orchard, and how to make and store the cider itself. He estimated that production in a normal year amounted to up to 35,000 barrels, of which 20,000 were consumed in the island and the remainder exported.

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Potatoes were being grown in and exported from Jersey as early as 1807, taking advantage of a beneficial climate and good soil. In 1807 the first exports of “early potatoes” were lifted in August/ September totalling 600 tonnes.

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London's Board of Agriculture report noted that: "Jersey cider is in great esteem and has become a leading article among its exports. One-fourth of its arable land is computed to be occupied by apple trees, most extensively in the parishes of St Martin, Grouville, St Clement and St Saviour. Apple trees of various descriptions are cultivated, some of French origin, some English, and some of native produce.”

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Thomas Quayle says that he gathered information from some of the most important men in Jersey, and gives full details of the method of cultivation - the best existing account of the times. He says:

Originally the potato was cultivated more as an object of curiosity than otherwise ... and was roughly attended to ... small patches in the corners of the then abounding orchards were occasionally seen, frequently irregularly planted and the tubers being dug up as required, indeed the whole affair managed, as we see now in the out-of-the-way corner of a garden - a bed ofJerusalcm artichokes; they were large, coarse and knotty; a dirty and ill-eared-for crop ... and largely used for fattening hogs and stock for market.

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1833- Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society

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1833- Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society

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The formation of the Royal Jersey Agricultural & Horticultural Society took place in 1833.

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Potato blight affected Jersey in 1845. This had previously devastated other countries, such as Ireland.

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By the middle of the century it had been recognised by one of the pioneers of the industry, St Ouen farmer John Le Caudey, that a particularly early crop could be harvested from some south-facing, sloping fields. This early crop would fetch high prices and could be exported to London.

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The industrial revolution brought the knitting industry to an abrupt end, and little or no tangible evidence now remains to prove its earlier existence.

The knitted stockings in the image are from the Museum's collections dating to the 1800s.

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1855- Cider decline and replacement with potatoes

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1855- Cider decline and replacement with potatoes

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Cider exports began to tail off after 1855 and within 20 years had fallen to virtually nothing. Industrial advances in England made cider-making more popular there. During this period the export of potatoes was increasingly steadily. Jersey farmers had found a more profitable crop and were cutting down their apple orchards and ploughing the fields to grow potatoes

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The Jersey Herd Book was established in 1866. All of the Jersey cattle in the Island are pedigree registered in the Jersey Herd Book. There is a small population of crossbred beef animals reared for the local market. Histories of breeding are within this book.

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For 150-years every cow born in Jersey has been logged and tracked in a book known as the Island Herd Book.

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1868- Exports of potatoes achieve 7890 tons.

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1868- Exports of potatoes achieve 7890 tons.

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1878- Hugh de la Haye and the Jersey Royal Flukes

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1878- Hugh de la Haye and the Jersey Royal Flukes

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A potato farmer Hugh de la Haye,  went to Le Caudey’s store and discovered two large potatoes, with one plant produced uniquely kidney-shaped potatoes. The resultant crop was a mix of kidney-shaped and round of which he was impressed by the flavour of the kidney potatoes.The potatoes were displayed in the window of the local newspaper and given the name The Jersey Royal Flukes as was the custom during the reign of Queen Victoria to name things in her honour. Hugh de la Haye went on to increase stocks of the new seed.

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1890- Testimonial presented to Hugh De La Haye

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1890- Testimonial presented to Hugh De La Haye

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In 1890 friends and fellow farmers presented him with a testimonial for his introduction of the Jersey Royal Fluke.

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Jersey’s climate was also ideal for growing tomatoes and at the end of the 1800’s this crop was further enhancing the income of the Jersey farmer.

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Exports of 70,000 tons of potatoes brought in nearly half a million pounds and after the first world war exports were worth double this amount and kept growing. Many a farmer made his fortune and the best cotils, producing the earliest and most valuable crop, change hands for enormous sums.

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Investment in the countryside infrastructure including elaborate granite retaining walls built to improve access to the very valuable cotils and earliest fields.Vraicing the land, particularly the lighter soils, is important for maintaining yields.

The picture is of a Vraic Fork from Samares Manor.

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1940-1945 German Occupation of Channel Islands

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1940-1945 German Occupation of Channel Islands

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During the Occupation, farming in Jersey was impacted under military occupation and adapted from production of export crops to feeding the local population.

There was a fear of excessive numbers of Jersey cows being slaughtered for meat.

Following WWII, there were 1000 agricultural holdings.

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Recently retired Victoria College head of history ANDY GILSON is in the process of writing a book on faming in Jersey during the Occupation. In the second of two preview article, expanded from his contribution to the summer 2015 issue of RURAL - Jersey Country Life, he discusses dairy farming during the Occupation
ON THE EDGE OF A VOLCANO
THE German Occupation led to interference in all aspects of Island agriculture. The last article demonstrated that the German authorities, through Field Command 515, laid down the rules. The Superior Council, along with the Department of Agriculture, their inspectors, and the Jersey farmer, had no option but comply with endless agricultural orders, demand for statistics and unrelenting and inexorable bureaucratic control.

This interference, however, did not ultimately affect the integrity of the Jersey cattle breed.

With a very small number of exceptions, the Germans left the Jersey under the auspices of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society, which, together with the Jersey Farmers Union, ran an 'Emergency Executive Committee' throughout the Occupation comprising a number of important cattle sub committees which safeguarded the Jersey breed. The records demonstrate a remarkable achievement of local ingenuity among the farming community and the Department of Agriculture. This evolved into a unique form of opposition to the Occupation.

The Germans as they conquered Europe demonstrated a natural propensity for acquiring the valuable asserts of occupied countries. It is surprising, therefore, that the Germans did not extract the unique potential of the Jersey and transfer back to Germany in large numbers the best of pedigree stock. In addition, the Germans never come forward with 'improvement' schemes of the Jersey by the infusion of continental strains. It is evident that this may have well occurred had the Germans not suffered a series of military setbacks after 1942. A prominent member of the RJA during the Occupation wrote, '.... the cattle on the Island lived on the edge of a volcano'.

In the spring of 1940 a far sighted order arranged for a register of Jersey cattle for slaughter to be set up, regulated by the RJA&HS. A communication of 7 January 1941, intended for the farming community, from KVR Dr Egon Pelz (the officer in charge of agriculture for Field Command 515), described the German agricultural plan for Jersey. It was made clear that the Island breed would be protected. Meat would be imported from La Manche département in order that Island cattle need not be slaughtered. The effect of this non-slaughter policy would lead to an increase in milk and butter and allow for a greater quantity of manure to be obtained.

The prospect, however, that Jersey cattle could be slaughtered became a real cause of concern among the local population, so much so, that the Superior Council on 10 May 1941 made an Island-wide pronouncement that, 'in order to set at rest any doubts which have arisen as the maintenance of the Island's milk supply, the Superior Council desires it to be known that although local cattle are being slaughtered at the Abattoirs in order to augment supplies of meat, strict instructions have been issued to the States Veterinary Surgeon not to permit the slaughter of any animal unless he is satisfied that such slaughter will not in any way prejudice the Island's milk supply in the future'.

The prospect, however, that Jersey cattle could be slaughtered became a real cause of concern among the local population Therefore up to October 1941, although cattle were obtainable from France, the butchery of Jersey cattle was only needed to supplement these importations of meat. The end result was that by November 1942 a considerable number of barren heifers and unproductive cows had been culled.

Dr Egon Pelz made it clear that milk and butter was the fundamental requirement from the Jersey. By December 1941, the Department of Agriculture ordered, that to divert milk to the local population, only a very small number of calves, including two or three bull calves would be allowed. The RJA&HS appointed a 'Selection Committee' and to 1945 carried out rigorous inspections using a 'points system' to select high quality calves and maintain the pedigree.

In 1943 a definite change of policy was revealed by the German authorities. The civilian population was to immediately be dependent upon local cattle to obtain meat. A 'Cattle Slaughter Executive Committee' was established by the Department of Agriculture comprising the leading dairy farmers of both the RJA and JFU. Each parish farmer was ordered to provide cattle for slaughter in proportion to its population and the number of head required that week. This selection, although not popular with many farmers, was fairly administered and worked extremely satisfactorily until 18 December 1944, after which the German authorities made a second demand requiring 7 tons of meat a week. In order to feed the local island population and comply with the German order, up to 60 cattle a week would be required. Again in each parish a 'Collecting Committee' was set up overseen by the Emergency Executive of both farming organizations.

Between 18 December 1944 and 5 May 1945, 1,000 head of cattle were slaughtered equating to approximately 40 a week. In addition, the Germans commandeered a further 200 cattle that were sent to Guernsey, of which 100 ended up in Alderney. It is certain that had the Occupation continued for several more months, Jersey would have been in danger of losing many pedigree herds.

The control of milk from July 1940 was an important policy of the Occupiers. Collections of milk from farms were centralised by four dairies and farmers were forbidden to sell milk or butter. Contemporary documents testify that farmers faced immense problems in maintaining a constant milk supply. The difficulty of maintaining hygiene, keeping milk cool, constant changes in milk collection times, adhering to a German time zone, the threat of foot and mouth and periodic outbreaks of earble fly infestation. One pot of bad milk could contaminate a lorry load collection.

In 1942 the Germans, believing that farmers were not sending in all their milk, put into operation 25 milk inspectors to oversee farms. They checked milking with the herd's milk records. A constant battle of wits ensued between the inspectors and farmers. Varied and devious explanations as to the reason why cows were not producing the required level were devised. One farmer often milked his cows at 4 am, two hours early and before the inspector arrived.

In Grouville, Arthur McGugan and his brother, each had their own cows to milk. When the inspector arrived they would simply exchange the cows they milked, as each cow would only lactate fully for the brother that it was used to.

The tail end of the Occupation saw the Germans demand greater quantities of milk. Severe threats were made if the milk were not to be forthcoming. On 30 April 1945, Touzel Brée, head of the Department of Agriculture, sent a letter to every dairy farmer in Jersey extoling them to increase their milk supply. It was a remarkable achievement that the Jersey farmer and his herd, for almost the entire occupation, produced enough fresh milk for every child in the Island to receive a daily allowance.

Jersey was most probably the only country in German occupied Europe where this was accomplished. It took five years of Occupation, D - Day, the second front invasion of Europe, and an Admiral willing to fight to the last man, to stop Jersey children receiving their milk allowance. Unfortunately this fact seemed to have been forgotten by the States of Jersey when in December 2010 it voted to stop milk being distributed to Island children.

*With thanks to Alan Allix for allowing access to his personal research, archive material and photographic collection on Field Command 515 and the Occupation.

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Recently retired Victoria College head of history ANDY GILSON is in the process of writing a book on faming in Jersey during the Occupation. In the second of two preview article, expanded from his contribution to the summer 2015 issue of RURAL - Jersey Country Life, he discusses dairy farming during the Occupation ON THE [...]

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Potato blight is one of the worst disease problems for the potato grower. It can wipe out the plants almost overnight and, worse still, it can infect neighbouring potato crops both on an allotment and any nearby commercial crop if adequate precautions are not taken. The Jersey Royal is a blight susceptible variety.

1981 saw a disastrous outbreak of potato blight Jersey. The President of the Agricultural and Fisheries Committee, Bernard Binnington, told the States that “My Department has written to all registered growers of maincrop potatoes urging them to continue to apply routine treatments of anti-blight spray and offering advice on disease control measures."

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Anne Perchard, née Billot MBE ( 1932 – 2013) was a cattle farmer at La Ferme. She was the first female director of the Jersey Milk Marketing Board, Vice President of the Royal Jersey Agricultural and Horticultural Society and President of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau. Anne was awarded an OBE in 2001 for her service to agriculture and the Jersey breed worldwide. She is described as “Champion of the Jersey Cow - Farmer & President of the World Jersey Cattle Bureau”.

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Jersey Jewel tomatoes are the pride of Island | Genuine Jersey

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Date: 02/06/2006 | Posted by John Garton

A Jersey grower has developed a new variety of tomato which is being sold in Tesco and Tesco Express stores in the UK. Harmony Produce has named the vine tomato Jersey Jewel. It is already on sale in Tesco stores throughout the UK and is now available from a small number of local shops too.

Harmony has been producing tomatoes in Jersey for nearly 40 years. The family-run business dedicates five acres of land in St Clement just for growing tomatoes. The Hervés put their success down to Jersey's very mild climate, position on the Gulf Stream and very good levels of light, which all help to give the plants the sunshine they need to produce the Jersey Jewel.

The Jersey Jewel is produced between March and November, and will be available in all UK Tesco stores at the peak of the season. The unusually cold spring meant a slow start to the season, but the tomatoes have already received acclaim in the UK press, including in The Independent, the BBC Good Food magazine, The Grower, The Grocer and Easy Living magazine.

Eleanor Hervé is the daughter of farmer-grower Kevin Hervé who started the business in the 1960s. She explained that as specialist tomato growers, Harmony Produce practise environmentally friendly techniques to ensure their tomatoes reach consumers in the best possible condition. "We use bumble bees to pollinate the crop, while other insects are used to keep glasshouse pests at bay. In addition, Harmony recycles all water and feed to ensure there is no pollution or waste. This knowledge and experience has been passed down through the generations. My dad has always been passionate about the quality of his crops, and getting the best tomatoes to his customer."

And Eleanor is so convinced by the quality of the Jersey Jewel and the Island's unique growing conditions that she recently told Tesco: "We are proud to challenge any tomato grower in the world to beat us on taste and texture - even the Italians will sit up and think!"

Ken Syvret MBE, chairman of the Genuine Jersey Products Association, congratulates Harmony Produce on its success in establishing sales in the national market. He said: "It is fantastic news that a Jersey farming family is exporting its expertise, and its quality tomato, to the UK. Genuine Jersey has a huge variety of members and an extremely diverse range of local products make up the exciting range. Our logo is becoming a byword for local quality and people increasingly look for it so that they can support businesses within their Island.

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Jersey Jewel tomatoes are the pride of Island

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Date: 02/06/2006 | Posted by John Garton A Jersey grower has developed a new variety of tomato which is being sold in Tesco and Tesco Express stores in the UK. Harmony Produce has named the vine tomato Jersey Jewel.

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Genetics and management techniques are adapted to improve milk production efficiency. The 2008 decision by the States of Jersey government, amending the ban on breeding stock importation that had been in place for over three centuries, allowed pedigreed jersey genetics from outside Jersey to enhance the development of the breed within Jersey.

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2011- the first beef from the Jersey-Angus cattle went on sale. 

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2011- the first beef from the Jersey-Angus cattle went on sale. 

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EU protection sought for Jersey Milk - BBC News

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A UK Jersey cattle society is applying to have the term 'Jersey Milk' protected by European law.

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2014-Introduction of Manx Loaghtan Sheep to the island

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2014-Introduction of Manx Loaghtan Sheep to the island

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These grazers were introduced to help land management. They are similar to the historic breed of multihorn Jersey Sheep.

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By Harriet Clark

The last few months at Sorel have been a busy time not only for the choughs, but also their neighbours; the resident flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep. The sheep play a vital role in the restoration of Jersey's coastline, as their extensive grazing helps prevent the spread of invasive scrub and bracken, opening up areas for more sensitive plants to grow, which allows a mosaic of heathland vegetation to develop. The habitat created by the sheep supports a wider variety of wildlife, particularly specialist invertebrates and birds, and, therefore, helps restore biodiversity (see Grazing for background). The conservation grazing project is a partnership between The Reserve and the National Trust for Jersey.

Manx Loaghtan are extremely hardy sheep which thrive on coastal cliff tops, so are very well suited to their important job of grazing the area of coastline between Sorel and Devil's Hole. They were introduced to the north coast by the National Trust for Jersey in 2008, and since then the flock has increased in number from 20 to 231, and the habitat where they are found has visibly improved, with bracken much less dominant in the areas they frequently trample.

The flock is managed by local shepherds Aaron le Couteur and Sam Hilton ( CS Conservation), not forgetting of course their sheepdog Mist. Every day of the year the shepherds do a head count and visual health check of the entire flock; this can be a very time consuming job as the sheep are somewhat adventurous and are often found scrambling along the steep cliff sides or grazing at the very bottom of the cliffs close to the shore. The adult rams are kept off site for safety, except for the less boisterous wether "Buck" who acts as the flock guardian. Despite common thought, the number of horns is not an indication of sex, with both ewes and rams having 1, 2 or even 3 sets of horns.

The sheep breeding season begins in October, when the breeding ewes are taken from Sorel to the farm to meet the rams and, all going well, fall pregnant shortly after. The first and last months of pregnancy are very sensitive times, so the ewes are kept at the farm for monitoring, but in the interim the pregnant ewes often graze further ecologically important sites. After a five month gestation period lambing begins, with roughly half of the ewes giving birth to one lamb, and half to twins, which have a dark brown fleece that gradually lightens to a mousy brown. As with all sheep, Loaghtan ewes can occasionally have problems at lambing, so a few orphaned lambs were hand-reared by the shepherds this spring; an extremely intensive job as the lambs initially require 24-hour care and bottle feeding.

This year 121 lambs were raised, and after 3-4 months on the farm, they were moved up to Sorel with their mothers. Although the lush grassland of the farm may look ideal for the lambs, they are actually much better adapted to grazing on rough coastal scrub. Work for the shepherds doesn't stop there though, as a couple of weeks later the ewes and lambs were rounded up for their vaccinations. After a just a few hours all 231 sheep were herded into the fenced off aviary field so that they could be checked and vaccinated, all the while observed by the choughs perched on the aviary roof, apparently quite interested in the spectacle!

Shearing is the next job, and the exact date depends on the weather conditions; Loaghtan wool is very high in lanolin wax, and in warm weather it becomes more viscous which makes shearing a much easier and faster job. The huge amount of wool produced is sold locally, creating extra revenue and reconnecting islanders with Jersey's traditional knitting industry. Throughout the 16 th-19 th centuries the Island was an important exporter of knitted goods, so much so that the word "jersey", describing a woollen sweater, is derived from the Island's historical trade.

The final job for the shepherds during the busy summer period is weaning the lambs. When the lambs first arrived at Sorel in June they were still suckling, but once they reach over 12 weeks old they naturally begin the weaning process, ready for the ewes to be dried off. The lambs are, therefore, rounded up one more time and moved into aviary field for about two weeks, where they are out of sight of their mothers. Separating the sheep in this way allows the ewes' milk to dry up and for them to put some weight back on, and the lambs to break the suckling habit in the least stressful way possible.

In addition to providing an extremely efficient habitat management service, the sheep also help produce essential feeding opportunities for the reintroduced choughs. Their grazing and trampling maintains short grass swards which the birds depend on for access to surface-active and soil invertebrates, and the sheep dung provides an important food source of beetle and fly larvae. Dung invertebrates might be particularly important for the choughs in spring and autumn when other insects are less abundant, or during dry periods when the ground is too hard for the birds to successfully probe into (see study by David McCracken here).

The maintenance of low intensity pastoralism is hugely important for the conservation of red-billed choughs throughout Europe, with several studies in the UK showing a significant relationship between sheep and chough populations.

Research on Ramsey Island, Bardsey and the Isle of Man (see IOM paper here) supports this link; in each case, reduced sheep grazing coincided with declines in the numbers of breeding choughs, and when grazing was resumed, the breeding chough populations began to recover. The choughs at Sorel certainly seem to show an affinity to the sheep, and can often be seen feeding in close proximity to the grazing sheep.

Please, therefore, respect the sheep and the important service they provide to our wildlife when visiting the area, and remember if you have a dog, to always keep it under control.

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Jersey's Manx Loaghtan sheep - the choughs' neighbours and friends - Birds on the edge

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By Harriet Clark The last few months at Sorel have been a busy time not only for the choughs, but also their neighbours; the resident flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep.

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2017- Jersey is known for its potatoes and ice cream

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2017- Jersey is known for its potatoes and ice cream

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The value of potatoes exported was £32 million. Also in this year, 24 million Jersey Dairy ice cream cones were served in the UK.

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Agricultural land covered 5,895 hectares (32,748 vergées), which is 51% of the Island’s area (64,612 vergées)

Milk production on dairy farms supplying Jersey Dairy was 14.3 million litres, a decrease of around 600,000 litres compared to 2017

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2020- Wheat Growing the old fashioned way

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2020- Wheat Growing the old fashioned way

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Back to the Future - RURAL (ruraljersey.co.uk)

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Farming with horses, wheat, oats, Jersey flour for Jersey bread... no, not a description of Jersey farming in the past, but of farming at Le Tacheron Farm in the Parish of Trinity, Jersey in 2020. ALASDAIR CROSBY talked to cousins John and Charles Le Maistre.
(Adapted from an article in RURAL magazine, Summer issue, 2020).

THE word 'Le Tacheron' is Jèrriais (Jersey's traditional French language) for 'the team' - a group of three workers, usually working together in the Island's potato fields. The team at Le Tacheron Farm is also a team: three family members united by a belief not just in traditional farming, but in its applicability to farming in the 21 st Century.

The three - John Le Maistre and his cousins, the twins Charles and Alan Le Maistre - are growing wheat - a traditional variety grown in Jersey in the 19 th Century - and Maris Widgeon, another heritage variety. Other grains they are growing are einkorn and spelt - originally harvested in prehistory by the earliest farmers.

Also in their range of crops are old-fashioned 'naked oats' (oats without hulls), which can be rolled or ground into flour with minimal processing, yielding a nutritious and flavourful food with a variety of uses.... including porridge. In 2021 they intend to produce the first Jersey porridge oats for very many years - and oat flour as well.

They cultivate their crops, whenever possible, by horse-power. They own two shire horses, two miniature Shetlands and a Normandy cob. The bigger of the two shires, Big Ben, stands at 19.1 hands - about as big as you can get. Their mechanical equipment consists of lightweight vintage machinery, including a ground driven reaper binder and a couple of classic tractors.

Old-fashioned

They own an old-fashioned oak and granite mill imported from Austria, and this year they started milling for the first time to sell to the general public. That just happened to coincide with the arrival of coronavirus and an upsurge in domestic bread-making. Now they are milling once or twice a week, making mainly wholegrain and bread-making flours, a hard white flour and also a soft white flour. They use the spelt for wholegrain and white flour.

If they had to name a mentor, it would probably be the eminent 19 th Century Jerseyman, Sir John Le Couteur, who undertook a sustained scientific study of wheat and produced several books on agriculture, among them: ' On the Varieties, Properties, and Classification of Wheat'(1836).

Charles said: 'We are growing Le Couteur's grain - we had it released from a seed bank in the UK, the John Innes Centre. We are trying to make all our growing methods replicate what was done at that time. We followed Le Couteur's books, planting on the same dates that he did.'

Their dream is to have their own "landrace" [local traditional variety] including Le Couteur's wheat combined with the Maris Widgeon variety.

He continued: 'No one has grown the old Jersey grain since the 1830s, so we thought that if we ended up growing them the old-fashioned way in Jersey, with horses, we'd be doing something pretty special. Le Couteur's work inspired us to try to combine sustainable agriculture with preserving Jersey historic and traditional methods of farming. We realised that pretty much all the features around the Island's old farm buildings were designed with horses in mind - and in particular growing wheat. Everyone was growing their own wheat and straw back then. That's how we stumbled across the idea of growing some Jersey grains in the old-fashioned method.'

Oats and wheat were commonly grown in the Island until after the Occupation decade so as to feed working horses.

So not an everyday Jersey farming story. Why did they choose to farm in this way?

Why farming in this way?

John said that to an extent it was a lifestyle choice, but added: 'Everyone queried what we were doing! When we planted wheat, the general consensus was that unless you were planting thousands of acres of wheat in East Anglia or America you couldn't make it work financially and it wasn't worthwhile. They thought we were mad! But when people started to worry about securing local food production - a worry exacerbated by the coronavirus emergency - and what Jersey could produce... and when they realised we were making Jersey flour - there was a complete reversal!

'With us, this has been a hobby that's grown into a farm. We've done it, because we love it, and it couldn't be further from any commercial incentive, because we have not been doing it for money - it's just something we believe in. A lot of people are behind us, and they support us because they believe in the message. Farming is in your blood - certainly in our blood. It is a lifestyle, not a commercial occupation.'

Charles continued: 'We grew up with our grand-father, Charles Allan Le Maistre, who farmed in the Parish of Grouville. He loved working with horses - as we do. Now we plough and do more with horses than we've ever done before. If we didn't have a farm to justify working our horse, our past experience would all have dissipated by now.

'There are distinct advantages to working with horses. Our grandfather used to grow outside tomatoes. He had a walk-behind rotavator. He said that it was quicker with a horse to weed the tomatoes - the horses actually go at quite a pace. If you walk behind them, it's quite tiring keeping up - but they slow down as the day goes on.

'We've tailored our farming to using horses, so we're not relying completely on using manual labour and we are being as low impact as we can. Horses make a massive difference. The first year we plough, we have to plough with a tractor, before we can start working with a horse, because the land has been compacted so much over the years. To have an animal that manages its own food source and fertilises the ground - it means you can be pretty self-reliant.

'Realistically, 15-20% of our farming is with horses. We want to increase that as much as we possibly can. We make up the balance with vintage machinery and low-impact, light-weight tractors. The dream would be to have pretty much a working horse farm. It's perfectly achievable. Just a balance of generating enough income to justify the cost.

'A lot of what we do is about preserving the past and also trying to farm in a way that we believe is sustainable and right.'

Really good for children

John added: 'We had a cracking upbringing on the family farm. We have got kids, and to bring them up in the same way is really good for them. We grew up surrounded by animals and fields, imbued with countryside values. And for our children to experience who we are, they need to experience us doing what we love. They are beginning to help us on the farm. We hope it will shape their character in the same way that it has shaped ours.'

For Le Tacheron, the coronavirus cloud has had a silver lining, since so many households have been experimenting with home baking during lockdown and Le Tacheron has been running an on-line baking competition called 'Knead to Stay at Home.'

'Without coronavirus it would have been a struggle to get going this year,' Charles said. 'We've been pouring money into the farm. But it has had to find its legs to pick up some momentum, so we could justify it. The nice thing is that people are really enjoying our flour, so they are not just buying it for the sake of it. It turns out that it's good flour as well!'

John continued: 'We knew that we had really good heritage grain, and that milling it with a granite mill is far different from modern stainless steel mills. It is the quality of the flour that counts - that's not just a marketing slogan.'

Le Tacheron is not centred on some old Jersey farmhouse, but there are four fields above Bouley Bay on the Island's north coast, within walking distance from the two homes of John and Charles. Alan also lives nearby. In addition there are four more fields in the vicinity; the land area totals 100 vergées (44½ acres). They have a small beef herd, goats and sheep and a few vegetable crops, such as 'gourmet garlic'. They leave ten per cent of their land 'for nature'.

Hops grow in the hedges and they grow barley, suggesting, perhaps, a future Jersey beer from Jersey hops. They make cider every year... bread, cider and beer - a good definition for 'self-sustainability'.

John, who is the one of the trio who spends most time on the farm (the others have other jobs to support them), said: 'The more you get involved with farming, the more you realise everything is about the weather and the timing of the harvest.

'Our situation is still pretty fragile, but I think we're just about getting there! Costs were astronomical to start with but we have had a lot of support from family and friends - without their support we couldn't have done it.

'We feel we are part of a backwards revolution - back to the future.'

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What's for Dinner? Introduction Biographies Of Contributors Introduction The Macro Themes Sustainable Food Good Food For Everyone Forever Land For People, Farmers And Communities Farming - What Sort? Share Farming Organic Farming At Highgrove What is Permaculture? Something To Eat Scotland The Bread Pasture-Fed Beef Season and Place Food and Farming in Jersey - New [...]

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Home » Jersey Hedge Veg

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Jersey's online ecosystem for fresh local produce

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The total area of land under cultivation at around 36,500 vergées (2.25 vergées in an English acre), represents 56% of the island area.  However, there is less than 100 commercial farm operations.

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The average age of agriculturalists in the rural sector is 55, showing the succession issues the industry faces.

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From May, agricultural input cost inflation is running at 30% in the UK, and locally some costs are up by as much as 50% due to Brexit, the war in Ukraine and covid.

The price of fertiliser for Jersey farmers has almost tripled in the last three years from around £300 per tonne in 2020 to around £800 per tonne for 2023 orders.

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Farmers in Jersey are experiencing the impact of rising costs across the farming industry. Credit: ITV Channel TV

Farmers across Jersey are calling for more support for the agricultural industry as farming costs rise.

Both arable and dairy farmers want the States to consider ring-fencing public funding just for agriculture to secure the industry's future.

The Chairman of the Jersey farmers union, Peter Le Maistre, is calling on the Minister for Economic Development to commit to 1% of public spending to be given to the agricultural industry.

He says one-off payments are "pointless" and that farmers need longer-term help.

As a result of rising energy prices and the cost of living crisis, many farmers have been hit with bills that are beyond their means.

The price of fertiliser for Jersey farmers has almost tripled in the last three years from around £300 per tonne in 2020 to around £800 per tonne for next year's orders.

Andrew Le Gallais MBE is a dairy farmer in Jersey. He says he has "never known a year when every cost is going up, and it has put a huge strain on us."

Normally cows would be eating thick grass but this year's drought means their food has dried up. Credit: ITV Channel TV

Andrew would normally start feeding his cows in October, but due to dry weather and a lack of grass, he has already started feeding them their winter rations.

The rations cost Andrew £4 a day per cow. He has 150 cows so he will be paying £25,000 extra this year which he had not budgeted for.

Peter Le Maistre met with Deputy Kirsten Morel yesterday to discuss what farmers need to get through the winter.
What is ring-fencing?
Deputy Morel said the idea is interesting and is open to considering it.

Ring-fencing is where funding is guaranteed for a specific sector and cannot be allocated elsewhere.

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Jersey farmers call for 1% of public funding to be spent on agriculture | ITV News

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Farmers across Jersey are calling for more support for the agricultural industry as farming costs rise. Both arable and dairy farmers want the States to consider ring-fencing public funding just for agriculture to secure the industry's future.

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2022- May- Economic Framework for the Rural Environment produced by States of Jersey

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2022- May- Economic Framework for the Rural Environment produced by States of Jersey

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La Faîs'sie d'Cidre (cidermaking festival)

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La Faîs'sie d'Cidre (cidermaking festival)

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Celebrated annually in October

https://www.jerseyheritage.org/explore/find-a-place-to-visit/hamptonne-country-life-museum/

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Free admission to children under 6 years old

We are excited to be creating a new museum space at Hamptonne dedicated to the Island's farming heritage, thanks to Fiscal Stimulus funding from the Government of Jersey.

During this time, you will still be able to visit...

The Orchard

The Historic Farm Buildings

The Play Area

The Meadow

While the work is ongoing, please stay safe by remaining outside the construction areas.

AVIAN FLU

Due to an outbreak of Avian Flu in Jersey and following official advice, our chickens are currently being housed away from public areas. We will keep you updated when this changes.

PRE-BOOKING

There is no requirement to book if your group is below 6+ Adults / Seniors
15% Group Booking discount is applicable to pre booked groups of 6+ or more Adults or Seniors (or combination of)

Discounts

15% discount for pre booked groups of 6 or more adults or seniors. Please book in advance here

10% discount for non pre booked groups of 6 or more adults or seniors (at VSA discretion)

Students and children no group booking discount

Jersey Heritage welcomes the following Reciprocal Agreements:

Museums Association Members

International Council of Museums (ICOM) members

Alderney Society / Museum ticket holders

National Trust Jersey Members

National Trust UK Members (20% off)

Friends of Manx National Heritage

Réseau des Musées de Normandie - Muséopass Card

Our disabled visitors pay the normal admission rate and we are happy to offer free admission for up to two carers.

Unlimited access to 4 must see attractions for the price of 3

View Larger Map

Road closed

Monday 11 July there are planned roadworks at Hamptonne, La Rue de la Patente will close to traffic for approximately two days. Diversions are in place.

ABOUT HAMPTONNE COUNTRY LIFE MUSEUM

Hamptonne Country Life Museum gives the visitor a unique insight into the rural life carried on in Jersey for centuries. Dating back to the 15th Century the house and farm are perfect for discovering the rural history of Jersey. Explore the different houses which make up Hamptonne, find out more about Jersey's history of cider making in the cider barn and wander through the cider apple orchard and meet the Hamptonne calves in the traditional farmstead.

Discover Syvret House, a decorated and furnished farmhouse gives a unique window into 1940s rural life, including; agricultural traditions, day-to-day family life, language, religion and the experience of the German Occupation.

THE HAMPTONNE NAME AND ROYAL CONNECTIONS

The Hamptonne farm complex takes its name from Laurens Hamptonne, who purchased it in 1633. The property is also known as 'La Patente', as is the name of one of the roads that passes it, after the Grants by Letters Patent received by its owner Richard Langlois in 1445, and by King Charles II to Laurens Hamptonne in 1649.

Royal Patents were awarded to those who had provided a particular service to the monarch or close relative. In Hamptonne's case, this resulted from his loyalty to the Royalist cause during the English Civil War, when he was Vicomte or executive officer of Jersey's Royal Court. It was in that role that Hamptonne issued the famous Proclamation in St Helier's Royal Square on 17 February 1649, declaring Charles II as King after news reached the Island of the execution of Charles I.

Hamptonne's support of the penniless exiled King Charles II resulted in several grants. One preserved the integrity of the property in perpetuity - it could not be broken up into parts ( partages) and split among family members, but would be inherited by the eldest child. Another permitted Hamptonne to rebuild the ruined Colombier (dovecote) originally granted to Richard Langlois. In normal circumstances, such buildings could only be built by Jersey Seigneurs (Lords or holders of a fief.). The Colombier is located to the south-east, slightly beyond the current boundaries of the Museum. This may not have been a source of local popularity for Hamptonne.

THE HOUSES AND COURTYARDS

Overall the site is square in shape. It includes ranges of buildings built in different periods, arranged around two courtyards. While the farm has medieval origins, consecutive owners have made marked improvements to the living accommodation. The main buildings are therefore named after the Langlois, Hamptonne and Syvret families, who lived here between 15th and 19th centuries.

When you exit the shop, you enter the North Courtyard along the side of which runs the Northern Range - a row of 19th century farm buildings constructed to meet the requirements of the agriculture workforce, its vehicles and horses. It include a Labourers Cottage, Coach House, Bake House & Laundry, and Stables. Facing the Stables is a glazed barn in which important farming devices and implements are displayed. There is a walled vegetable and herb garden to the east, beyond which is the Hamptonne Playground and Cider Apple Orchard.

To the south is Langlois House, which comprises stabling and an undercroft on the ground floor, and a parlour and bedroom on the first floor. At the south-west corner is a twin-arched stone gateway providing access to the roadway. To the south of Langlois House are the pigsties and a spring-fed pond.

To the west is the Cider House or pressoir with its granite apple crusher and press; to the southern end of this row is Syvret House which consists of a kitchen, parlour, two bedrooms and a small cabinet. The House is presented as the home of a tenant farmer around 1948.

CIDER APPLE ORCHARD

To the east of the farm complex is the Cider Apple Orchard, which consists of apple trees chosen for their sweet, bitter and sharp flavours to provide a good balance for cider making when mixed together. The footpath through the orchard takes you into a small area of woodland. Wooded areas at the back of farms provided an important source of wood for fuel and building materials, while also supporting a rich variety of plants and wildlife. Follow the footpath down to the grazing Meadow and, if you wish, continue on the public footpath that joins the National Trust for Jersey's Toad Trail.

Café

The Hamptonne Café has a charming rustic farmhouse ambience, with both indoor and outdoor seating areas, it provides the perfect the setting for a locally produced cake or light lunch. We have carefully sourced the best local suppliers to provide delicious cakes and savoury light bites, which accompany our freshly prepared sandwiches, salad boxes and daily specials.

Free Walking Guide

Explore Jersey with our series of walking guides taking in many of the Island's landmarks, heritage and visitor attractions. Our walks have been developed by a Jersey Blue Badge Guide, who knows the Island inside-out. Upstream to Hamptonne - find out more. A short stroll through Waterworks Valley along a beautiful woodland path in the parish of St Lawrence.

Facilities and Access

Read our access statement for Hamptonne Country Life Museum.

Payment: Can be made by debit, credit card (not Amex), in Sterling or Euro.

Organised groups: 15% discount for groups of 6 or more adults or seniors. Please book in advance by completing the form here.

Entrance and parking: The car park is a short walk from Hamptonne

Disabled access: Some disabled access to the sites. November/December 2021 - there is no disabled toilet access at this site while building work takes place.

Baby changing facilities: T here are currently no baby changing facilities available on site.

Dogs: No dogs, except guide dogs. Read our policy here.

Buses and cycle routes: The nearest bus stop for Hamptonne is Route number 7 and is a 10-12 minute walk away at Three Oaks Garage. Liberty Bus run a regular service from Liberty Station.

Refreshment: The café at Hamptonne is open daily.

Hearing loop: Available at reception and a portable hearing loop is available for groups if requested in advance

WIFI: Available on site

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Hamptonne Country Life Museum | Jersey Heritage

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Free admission to children under 6 years old We are excited to be creating a new museum space at Hamptonne dedicated to the Island's farming heritage, thanks to Fiscal Stimulus funding from the Government of Jersey. During this time, you will still be able to visit...

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2022- November- Financial support promises

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2022- November- Financial support promises

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Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel highlighted next year’s spending plans, including an extra £1.5m of support for the sector, and said that more money would be available after that.

This is on top of £400,000 of emergency funding given to dairy farmers in September to counter a ‘perfect storm’ of threats, including this summer’s drought, the war in Ukraine’s impact on fertiliser production and rising costs, including an increase in the minimum wage.

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THE government has pledged to reverse a 20-year decline in financial support to farmers to make sure that supermarket shelves are not empty - and encourage young Islanders from non-farming families to enter the industry.

Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel highlighted next year's spending plans, including an extra £1.5m of support for the sector, and said that more money would be available after that.

This is on top of £400,000 of emergency funding given to dairy farmers in September to counter a 'perfect storm' of threats, including this summer's drought, the war in Ukraine's impact on fertiliser production and rising costs, including an increase in the minimum wage.

Speaking at the annual Jersey Farming Conference yesterday, Deputy Morel said the government recognised the importance of farming to the Island's food security.

Jersey Farmers' Union president Peter Le Maistre and Christine Hellio, of Manor Farm in St Ouen, recently stressed the importance of having locally grown produce in the wake of extreme weather conditions disrupting ferry sailings.

A new Economic Framework for the Rural Environment, published in May, sets out a new mechanism for funding, based on producers being able to demonstrate a clear benefit to the public in what they do.

Deputy Morel told the conference: 'We are proposing in this year's Government Plan £1.5m in additional support for the rural economy in 2023, more than half of which has been found since July.

'This will bring the government's total support for this sector to over £3m for the first time in over a decade. That's less than 0.5% of government expenditure but it represents a big step forward.

'We are still well short of comparable jurisdictions, but it does reflect my commitment to begin correcting the downward trend in support we have seen in recent decades.'

The minister also mooted the possibility of ring-fencing funds for agriculture as a percentage of total spending, as the government has done for heritage and arts, but he conceded that there was resistance in the Treasury to this, because it could lead to money sitting in a pot unused. Two per cent spent on agriculture equates to £9m a year, three times more than the £3m to be spent next year.

The Economic Framework also promises extra support to encourage new entrants into farming, possibly through help to meet the high capital cost of entering the sector, as well as promoting roadside stalls and helping smallholders to supply local produce alongside the large commercial growers.

Dairy farmer Andrew Le Gallais, who is also chairman of the Jersey Milk Marketing Board, said that the industry needed to better mobilise to make sure that public money was well spent.

He told the conference: 'In my opinion, the time is now right to explore the creation of new 'compacts' or 'covenants' between like-minded farmers and government.

'This would not be in a prescriptive manner as perhaps the Milk Marketing Scheme, but in a way that gives the government the confidence to articulate with and sustain groups of responsible and unified farmers who meet its aims and objectives.'

He added: 'In our hour of despondency, now is the time to deliberate and organise ourselves for a genuine sustainable future.'

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Minister details plans to boost support for farmers

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THE government has pledged to reverse a 20-year decline in financial support to farmers to make sure that supermarket shelves are not empty - and encourage young Islanders from non-farming families to enter the industry. Economic Development Minister Kirsten Morel highlighted next year's spending plans, including an extra £1.5m of support for the sector, and [...]

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Farmers paid more for growing local crops under new incentive scheme | Bailiwick Express Jersey

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Farmers paid more for growing local crops under new incentive scheme

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Farmers will be encouraged – and paid – next year for using more soil-regenerating cover crops, growing food for the local market, and using organic practices under a new Government incentive scheme.

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Celebrated in January in Jersey and southern England where cider making is important